Sprint wouldn't comment on any plans to back off on a merger with T-Mobile, and analysts said such a deal isn't permanently dead.

Claure, 43, joined the Sprint board in January. He founded Brightstar Corp., now a subsidiary of SoftBank. In a statement, Sprint said that Claure will make the ongoing Sprint network buildout his first priority, "ensuring that Sprint always maintains truly competitive offers in the marketplace."

T-Mobile, the nation's fourth-largest wireless carrier behind third-place Sprint, has been attracting the most attention of the nation's carriers for aggressive pricing and no-contract deals.

Sprint Chairman Masayoshi Son cited Claure's ability to transform Brightstar from a startup to a $10 billion business at the end of 2013. Apparently referring to plans to back off a merger, Son also said, "While we continue to believe industry consolidation will enhance competitiveness and benefit customers, our focus moving forward will be on making Sprint the most successful carrier."

SoftBank will acquire Claure's remaining interests in Brighstar.

Hesse leaves Sprint after serving as CEO since 2007. In a statement, he referred to the "resilience" of Sprint workers during years of transitions, which included the merger with SoftBank, moving to LTE after a long period of promoting WiMax and shutting down the Nextel network.

Independent analyst Jeff Kagan said that Claure and Son are likely to foster new growth strategies for Sprint. Sprint's decision to abandon a T-Mobile merger is "what regulators wanted," he added. "Regulators want four wireless [national] carriers."

Kagan said that when Hesse arrived, the executive found a company that was "crashing and burning." Kagan said Hesse can be "credited with a heroic rebuild. He gave Sprint the strength to move ahead and prepare for the next chapter."

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